


Sly smiles & Self Defence Mechanisms

by Zombiebarnes



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Everyone Is Gay, M/M, Slow Build, Slow Burn, hugh is determined to be his friend, or at least friendly to him, paul is bad at feelings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2019-04-15 00:14:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14147712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zombiebarnes/pseuds/Zombiebarnes
Summary: Paul Stamets joins the crew of the USS Discovery in the hope of being able to focus on his work, at last. Away from distractions, and under the supervision of Captain Gabriel Lorca, his productivity is bound to flourish.Or so he thought.





	Sly smiles & Self Defence Mechanisms

The USS Discovery was, by all accounts, Starfleet’s proudest achievement. Their poster boy, their favourite child. The jewel in their crown, if you will. Both the Discovery and her sister ship, the Glenn were state of the art scientific investigation vessels, built with the express purpose of testing the spore drive developed by Stamets and Straal. And indeed, as he looked upon the gleaming vessel, straight from the shipyards, Paul Stamets felt a swell of pride in the pit of his chest. Discovery was as sleek and beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside. He ran a finger over the freshly installed panelling along the walls of the hallway. It may not have been perfect, but the discovery was certainly a vessel he could work with. The halls were relatively silent, as a senior member of the crew, Stamets was lucky enough to be allowed to move his research in early, so as to get started as soon as possible. Moving out of a cramped lab would be a welcome change, even if he would miss sharing said space with his equally cranky counterpart.

As soon as he had set his belongings down in his quarters, he had headed down to the area that would soon serve as his work-space. His footsteps echoed as he paced meticulously from wall to wall, measuring the dimensions of the room with his strides and a keen eye. It would do nicely. There was a burst of something in the pit of his stomach as he noticed the way dust particles danced in the beams of light in front of him.

The minutes faded away into hours, as Paul went about setting up his things, storing the sprouts of the mycelium that would soon fill his vast and empty work space. In no other field would he be allowed to work in his own garden with a team as dedicated and passionate about the work as he was himself. The prospect of making developments was exciting. It was hours after his arrival that the sound of a door sliding open, and a lithe body slipping through the gap caught his attention.

He barely looked up from his work, speaking dismissively with the wave of a hand.   
“If you’re here to talk, I’m afraid I don’t have time. This work is incredibly delicate.”   
The voice that echoed in the background was surprisingly self-assured for a Starfleet Officer. One might even describe it as smug; cocky -But perhaps that was just Paul’s perception- the man was well-spoken, and his tone caught his attention almost immediately.  
“Lieutenant Stamets, I assume? Doctor Culber. I took a look at the crew manifest. You’re the only crewmember aboard who’s due a routine medical. Care to spare me a few moments of your time when you’re done here?”

Stamets looked up, directly into the sparkling, inquisitive eyes of a man clad in the white uniform that signified a Starfleet medical officer. This must have been the man who was to be his doctor. Immediately, Stamets was taken by everything about him. His eyelashes, his jawline, the nape of his neck. And immediately, Stamets was stricken with an intense and barely controllable rage that bubbled like tar beneath his veins. He quirked a brow, barely resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Wasn’t it just like Starfleet to hire the best and the brightest (Until now, he hadn’t been aware that that meant those with the brightest eyes.)   
  
“Well, _Doctor_ Culber,” Paul’s tone was almost biting in its bitterness “As much of a pleasure as it is to meet you, I have very important, time sensitive work to be doing, here. I’m afraid a medical examination is the least of my concern, and I think you’ll find that Captain Lorca agrees with me. “   
The man descended down the steps towards him, stopping a few paces from where he stood. He seemed somewhat taken aback by the unfriendly tone that had greeted him.   
“Captain Lorca isn’t a medical professional. I’m sure you’re aware of Starfleet regulations, Lieutenant. I won’t cite the section that states that physicians outrank other members of the crew when it comes to medical necessity.”   
Paul grumbled in response, meeting Hugh’s eyes as he looked up, and very quickly looking away. “I don’t care much for Starfleet regulations.”

The doctor rested the palm of one hand against the desk in front of him, using the other to balance the PADD he was reading from. He stood tall. Good posture was always a warning sign, Paul thought to himself, allowing himself a to study the doctor for a moment, but only in his peripheral vision.   
“I’m afraid I can’t sanction you for duty until I’ve checked that you’re healthy.” He slid the PADD across the desk. Paul stopped, looking at the device with a blank expression.   
“What do you expect me to do with this?”   
“Make yourself an appointment.” 

The doctor folded his arms across his chest as he spoke. It was clear he didn’t plan to leave until he had confirmation. Paul huffed, his displeasure clear in the way his shoulder’s curled and his expression turned sour. He tapped the first space he saw on the screen, sliding the device back across the table towards the doctor. Hugh looked down, nodding his head, and offering him a friendly smile.  
“Tomorrow morning, then. I look forward to seeing you in sickbay bright and early.”

In what seemed like a few steps, the doctor had crossed the expanse of space, and Paul heard the familiar rush of air as the doors opened before him, and he returned to work. Perhaps this posting wouldn’t be as work-focused as Paul had been hoping.


End file.
